GRAHAM WARWICK / WASHINGTON DC
Virtual avionics system will improve pilot awareness and training by mimicking conventional VFR instrumentation
Honeywell has begun flight testing its Bendix/King Apex next-generation integrated avionics system for general aviation. The system features new symbology designed to mimic the cues available in visual flight rules flying, and is intended to make instrument flying easier.
Flight testing of the baseline Apex 1000 system for single-engine pistons has begun in a company-owned Cessna 206, but certification is not expected until "the 2003 to 2005 timeframe", says Dan Barks, marketing director, general aviation business.
Apex 1000 features a single large liquid crystal display which is divided into four areas, or tiles, which present the attitude director indicator (ADI), horizontal situation indicator, engine instruments and navigation information. The system also includes an air-data, attitude/heading reference system using micro-electromechanical sensors in place of traditional gyros.
Apex features new symbology, which Honeywell calls visualcueing and control (VC2). This replicates the references available to the pilot in visual conditions by adding conformal cues to the ADI display. The horizon appears in the distance and the textured ground and sky appear to be passing the aircraft. Runways, navigation aids and rivers appear on the ground in locations and with perspective that mimic what the pilot would see looking through the windscreen.
Honeywell expects VC2 to improve pilot situational awareness and simplify training, while the retention of some traditional symbology will ease the transition from conventional instruments. Barks says VC2 is "a good first step" towards highway-in-the-sky flight guidance symbology.
Apex introduces a new cabinet-based architecture and uses the DEOS flight-critical operating system developed for Honeywell's Primus Epic avionics. Honeywell is planning the Apex 2000 for piston twins, light turboprops and helicopters, and the Apex 9000 for twin turboprops and business jets.
Source: Flight International
